Material applying apparatus



Aug. 17, 1965 v. DANBERG 3,201,047

MATERIAL APPLYING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 30, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M 425 INVENTOR Z/ I VIC\'0V Danberq BY RM DCKW ATTORNEYifi 7, 1965 v. DANBERG 3,201,047

MATERIAL APPLYING APPARATUS Y RMM-mm ATTORNEY$ n 3 ,2dlfi47 1C Patented Aug. 17, 1965 3,201,047 MATERIAL APPLYENG APPARATUS Victor Danberg, 6 Mary Ann Lane, Walliugford, Conn. Filed Oct. 30, 1963, Ser. No. 320,098 1 Claim. (Cl. 239-336) This invention relates to apparatus for applying material in fibrous or finely divided form to a desired surface or article, and more particularly relates to apparatus for mixing and blowing a mixture of fibrous or finely divided materials containing an adhesive and a liquid actuator upon an article or surface desired to be coated with the material. 1

Apparatus embodying the invention may be used in many applications in which a fibrous or finely divided material containing an adhesive is mixed with a liquid actuator as both the material and the actuator are discharged from the apparatus onto an article or surface to be coated. For example, apparatus embodying the invention may be used in combination for paint spraying with a splattered design where the fibrous or finely divided such as the discharge port of a vacuum cleaner. An applicator embodying the invention is very simple in design and quite efficient in operation.

The invention comprises an apparatus which may be referred to as an applicator gun which comprises a main air conduit adapted to be attached to a source of rapidly moving air, which main conduit forks into first and second branch conduits. One of the conduits is so arranged as to have a reservoir of a liquid secured thereto so that the air moving through the first conduit discharges a fine atomized spray of liquid from the first conduit. The second branch conduit is interrupted intermediate its ends, and ports provided therein to provide communication with the interior of a container of the fibrous or finely divided material. Operatively associated with the second branch conduit is an adaptor for facilitating the attachment thereto of a container of the fibrous or fine divided material, into which extends a pipe from the second branch conduit. Defined in the second branch conduit on the opposite side of the interruption is a discharge port for the fibrous or finely divided material and the second branch conduit is so shaped and directed that the discharge of material therefrom crosses the path of the discharge actuator liquid to provide mixing of the liquid and material exterior of the apparatus. The applicator gun is so designed as to require no valve to control the flow of air therethrough, yet by, its inherent design allows a very simple valving action by hand manipulation whereby the amount of fibrous or finely divided material discharged from the applicator may be readily controlled. An applicator gun embodying the invention further provides a new and improved mounting for a plastic bag which holds the material to be applied. This mounting arrangement allows infinite adjustment of the volume of the material containing bag which communicates with the second branch conduit, facilitates a change in the volume of the material container as material is used therefrom, and therefore requires no change in air pressure to deliver a constant amount of material as the material in the bag is depleted.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved low cost apparatus for applying fibrous or finely divided material to a surface or an article.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved material applicator having improved facility for attaching a container of material thereto and adjusting the volume of the container as the material supply therein is depleted.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved material applicator which requires no valve mechanisms to control the amount of material dispensed but which is so constructed that a person may easily control the quantity of material applied.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claim.

For a fuller. understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of material applying apparatus embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1, partly cut away to show details of the apparatus in section;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view seen along line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view seen along line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view seen along line 5-5 of FIG. 3

An embodiment of the invention is generally identified by the reference numeral 10 and comprises a main or inlet air conduit 11 adapted to be connected to a source of rapidly moving air, such as the hose of a household vacuum cleaner, exemplified in broken line and identified by reference numeral 12. The main conduit 11 opens into communication with first and second branch conduits 13 and 14, respectively.

Hereinafter first branch conduit 13 will be referred to as a liquid conduit and second branch conduit 14 will be referred to as a material conduit. It will be understood that the liquid discharged from nozzle 15 at the discharge end of conduit 13 will be divided into a fine spray, or atomized with air. Likewise, material discharged through opening 16 at the discharge end of the material discharging conduit 14 will be conveyed by air.

Liquid discharging conduit 13 is arranged to have secured thereto a liquid container 17 which in the preferred embodiment is arranged to be threadably received within portion 18 extending from conduit 13. Conduit 13 communicates with the interior of container 17 by means of passage 19. t will be noted that the discharge conduit has associated therewith what may be termed an atomizer arrangement. A nozzle of L-shape Z0 is positioned within discharge nozzle 15 and extends downwardly in a direction toward the interior of liquid container 17. Nozzle 2%} extends into a tube 21 adapted to extend toward and to the bottom of container 17. In operation, air is passed through discharge conduit 13 and will enter container 17 through passage 19 creating a pressure on the surface of the liquid in container 17, forcing liquid in container 17 upwardly through tube 21 and nozzle 26. As the liquid is discharged though nozzle 20 it is atomized by the swiftly flowing air in liquid conduit 13 which exits through nozzle 15, about nozzle 20.

Material conduit 14 is completely blocked intermedi ate its ends by a wall 22 across material conduit 14. Ex

tending from the bottom of conduit 14 on the inlet side of wail Z2 is a stand pipe 23 arranged to extend a substantial distance into a container 24 for fibrous or finely divided material. Defined in conduit 14 on the exit side of wall 22 is a port 25 arranged to provide communication between the interior of bag 24 and the discharge end 26 of conduit 14. A passage is thus provided for air flow from the inlet end of conduit 14, through container 24 to the discharge end of conduit 14.

A fibrous or finely divided material bag adaptor mounting member 27 is secured to and positioned immediately below conduit 14. The peripheral edge or" adaptor 27 is provided with a downwardly turned flange 28 having a smooth peripheral bag mounting surface 29. It may 'be noted that both stand pipe 23 and port 25 reside within the boundaries of flange 28.

In operation, rapidly moving air is introduced into the inlet conduit 11 as indicated by arrow 3t (FIG. 3). The air introduced into conduit 11 divides between conduits 13 and 14 as indicated by the arrows 31 and 32. Air flow through conduit 13 produces an atomized spray of liquid at the discharge end of conduit 13, as previously explained. The air flow introduced into conduit 14 is directed into container 24 by wall 22 and stand pipe 23. Stand pipe 23 directs the air flow on to and into the librous or finely divided material in container 24 and builds up a pressure therein agitating the material into a cloud and causing the fibrous or finely divided material to be blown through port 25 into the discharge side of conduit 14 and subsequently forced out through discharge end 26 of conduit 14 into the path of the liquid.

The fibrous or finely divided particles may contain an adhesive or binder which is activated by the liquid from conduit 13 so that the fibrous or finely divided particles will adhere to a surface or article. It will be apparent that many different types of coatings may be applied with the disclosed material applying apparatus, for example, the liquid in container 17 may be a paint and the material in container 24 may be a finely divided or fibrous material which gives a splattered design to the article or surface being sprayed.

Attention is directed to the construction of the stand pipe 23 which extends a substantial distance below the edge of adaptor member 27 so that the user of the apparatus may easily control the flow of air into container 24. It will be understood that container 24 is a thin, fiexible material such as a bag of polyethylene plastic and therefore the operator of the apparatus may easily use his finger to control the air flow through stand pipe 23 into bag 24. In this manner the operator can control the degree or amount of fibrous or finely divided material Which is blown through exit portion 25 of conduit 14. It will be noted that this construction requires no valves in either of conduits 14 or 13.

Container 24 is arranged to be easily secured to and demounta'ble from mounting adapt-or 2 7 by means of a tension band 33 positioned about flange 28, which tension band secures the open end of container 24 about the peripheral surface 29 of flange 28. Tension band 33 may be adjusted by any suitable means such as a threaded bolt 34 and nut 35 passed through out-turned ends 36 of the band. Other means of tensioning band 33 may be utilized, such as a thumb screw threadably received in ends 36.

This technique of securing container 24 to mounting member 27 allows the volume of the container to be easily adjusted. By loosening the nut 35 and drawing the container 24 upwardly to decrease its volume, the volume of the container and hence the ratio of material therein to the volume, may be decreased. This adjustment is very desirable as the material in the container decreases and a substantially constant discharge of material through conduit 14 is desired. When it is desired to remove the container 24 the nut 35 is loosened and the container merely slipped off of flange 28. Preferably a tension band retaining ledge 37 is provided on the bottom of flange 2% to aid in positioning and retaining tension band 33 about flange 29 when it is desired to remove and replace container 24 or adjust the volume of container 24.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are etficiently attained and since changes may occur to those skilled in the art in practicing the invention and in the construction set forth without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limited sense.

What is claimed is:

Apparatus for applying finely divided material comprising means defining a main conduit, means defining first and second branch conduits communicating with said main conduit, one of said branch conduits being arranged to have a container for holding liquid secured thereto, means in said one of said branch conduits for dischaging a liquid from the container in a spray when air is forced through said one of said branch conduits, the other of said branch conduits having an inlet end and a dis.- charge end of smaller internal diameter than the inlet end directed across the discharge path of said one'of said branch conduits, wall means intermediate the ends of said other of said branch conduits for preventing how of air through said other of said branch conduits, a material container mounting member attached to said other of said branch conduits defining a cylindrical peripheral mounting flange located wholly below said other branch conduit, an air directing pipe extending downwardly from said other of said branch conduits on the inlet side of said wall means, and a port defined in said other of said branch conduits on the discharge side of said wall means, said pipe and said port residing within said peripheral flange, with the end of said air directing pipe extending below said peripheral flange.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,991,944 7/ 61 Sullivan 2393 04 3,021,079 2/62 Sovia et al. 239-306 FOREIGN PATENTS 904,004 2/54 Germany.

M. HENSON WOOD, In, Primary Examiner.

E. W. KIRBY, Examiner. 

